This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for dispensing flexible sheet material, particularly end wrap papers used in cosmetology. A novel dispenser containing a plurality of interposed sheets of material from which the sheet material may be removed, one at a time, is provided and which dispenser is mountable on a human arm or other convenient surface by use of an adaptable mounting device.
In the hair waving industry it is customary for a cosmetologist when giving a permanent wave treatment to the hair of a customer, to utilize small rectangular sheets of flexible, porous absorbent paper or fabric which retains a permanent solution in contact with the hair to which it has been applied. This is accomplished by the cosmetologist after a plurality of strands of hair are segregated from the remainder of the customer's hair and folded inside one of the retention end wraps. The segregated strands of hair, which have been enclosed in the end wrap paper are rolled or coiled over a curling device, commonly known as a roller. During this hair-waving operation, it is customary to apply a chemical preparation to the hair and the end wrap papers, thereby providing a treatment to the strands of hair designed to yield greater permanence from the setting of the hair. Frequently, the cosmetologist will pretreat the hair with a netralizing agent to protect previously treated portions of the hair. The primary purposes of the end wrap papers is to maintain the strands of hair which have been segregated as a unit as they are placed on the roller, to retain a greater quantity of the chemical preparation in contact with the strands of hair, and to provide a cushion between the strands of hair and the rough surface of the roller.
End wraps are commercially supplied as small flat papers superimposed one upon another and packed in boxes made of cardboard or paper, which boxes are generally utilized with the top removed. Normally, the cosmetologist must situate the box of end wrap papers on a counter or shelf adjacent to the work area. When an end wrap paper is to be utilized, the cosmetologist must first segregate the strands of hair to be rolled and then turn from the customer to procure both an end wrap paper and a roller while still grasping the segregated strands of hair. This operation is most commonly performed while the cosmetologist's hands are wet from a previous application of the liquid pretreatment and/or permanent preparation and is further complicated by the cosmetologist's frequent inability to withdraw only a single end wrap paper from the presently designed end wrap containers. Because of the lightweight characteristics of both the end-wrap papers and container, the container is often pulled along or lifted with an end paper when the cosmetologist attempts to remove a single end paper, thus causing spillage of the remaining papers in the container or, at the least, transfer of the container to an inconvenient position for the removal of the next end paper.
In the past, several dispensers for flexible sheet materials have been described which in one way or another attempt to solve the problems described above.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,087,181 to Conway, a dispensing container for housing interlocked sheets for removal one at a time is described which is especially adapted for hairdressers. The container is readily clamped to a hair curler for easy access thereto by the beautician and comprises a case having a discharge slot for removal of the sheets, a removable cover hinged to the side of the case opposite the discharge slot, a spring secured to the inner face of the cover which bears against a package of interlocking sheets stored within the case, and a pair of resilient clamps secured to the outer face of the cover at right angles to each other for grasping and holding the case on a roller.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,347,823 to Goodman et al, a dispensing container for sheet material is described comprising a rigid container having an opening at the top and elongated finger-like members partly closing the opening and a resilient means such as spring and movable plate for constantly pressing a stack of sheet material against the top opening and fingers. The container is preferably irregularly shaped, the dispensing end being greater in height than the rear end. The container can be worn on the arm of the operator by constructing the base of the container in a curve to conform with the curve of the wrist and by attaching a strap and buckle to be clasped about the wrist.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,407 to Keating, a complicated end wrap dispenser adapted to be worn around the wrist is described, the base portion of which has a plurality of sidewardly extending arms. Tongue members connected to the ends of the arms mate with slots in the base. Four upwardly extending arms which are attached to the sidewardly extending arms, are positioned along the sides of a rectangular pattern to form a receptacle for the end wraps and are spaced to provide easy access to the top sheet for removal therefrom without disturbing the next subadjacent sheet. The above described dispensers, although constituting an improvement over lightweight containers in which end papers are packaged, are basically large, cumbersome and rather complicated in design. The containers of Conway and Goodman et al, for example, require spring means to force available sheets toward their respective discharge slots or openings. In Conway, the sheets must be loaded in the dispenser at the end opposite the discharge slot. Moreover, since hair-treating solutions used in modern treatments attach many required materials, the clamps of Conway attached to a roller which is in contact with such solutions, would be subject to wear and corrosion after repeated use. Both the Goodman et al and Keating dispensers are complicated and cumbersome; the Goodman et al device being characterized by a large irregularly-shaped container, a plurality of fingers and a curved base and the Keating device by a complex arrangement of interconnecting upwardly and sidewardly extending arms and flanges. Further, these devices are difficult to load with sheets and do not particularly address the problem of dispensing only one sheet of material at a time.
The present invention on the other hand, provides a dispenser for flexible sheet material, particularly end wraps, which is simple in design and construction, does not employ the use of springs or any other resilient means, is easy to load, can be conveniently adapted to be worn about the arm and most importantly is particularly designed for one-at-a time removal of sheet material. PG,6
The present invention has as one object, the provision of a container for end wrap sheet materials which will permit the withdrawal of a single end wrap paper at a time.
Another object is to provide a dispenser of end wrap papers from which the cosmetologist can withdraw one end wrap paper notwithstanding the fact that the cosmetologist's hands are wet from previous applications of liquid permanent waving preparations.
A further object of this invention is to provide a small lightweight end wrap dispenser which can be comfortably attached to the arm of the user and which will not rotate about the arm or wrist.
An even further object of this invention is to provide an end wrap dispenser which is easily refillable.
A still further object of this invention is to provide an end wrap dispenser which imparts an upward thrust of end wrap papers toward the dispenser opening.